Happily Ever After: The Shepherds
by AddieGreysPPPEvilRegal9119
Summary: AU; The Short sequel to "Happily Ever After"; an alternate glimpse at Derek and Addison's life would have been like if Derek wasn't indifferent and Addison hadn't cheated. Written in Multiple tenses.
1. Colin

**Hi Guys! So, it's snowing...for the first time on the gulf coast so, I've been stuck inside practically all week and I'm going a bit stir crazy. It's a quarter til 3 in the morning and, I just got the urge to create a new fanfic. I had someone ask me about doing something more with 'Happily Ever After' and...the idea just sort of hit me. It's probably gonna be a short fic, but anywho I'm bored and I'm nearly insane from being stuck inside for 4 days so...I hope you all enjoy!**

**Xx**

* * *

Colin:

He's the oldest of the Shepherd kids and he likes it, sort of. Colin James Shepherd; he's named after both his grandfather's, The Captain (who's real name is Alistair James) and the grandfather he never knew, Colin; his dad's dad. He and his brother Ryan are both named after their grandfather, Colin Christopher Shepherd. He doesn't know too much about him, except that his dad wasn't that much older than him when he was killed. Dad 's never told him the story, but mom did. Two guys came into grandpa's shop to rob it; dad and Aunty Amy were there(Amy was the same age as Maddie and Kitty). After they took all of the money, they insisted on grandpa's watch; but he wouldn't give it to them. You see, grandma Carolyn had given it to him as an anniversary present, a symbol of how much she loved him. It was an expensive watch; it took her long enough to save up for it, especially having 5 kids. Grandpa refused to give up the watch and...they killed him; shot him in the head Aunt Amy told him the one time she did talk about it. When he writes his name, he gets a sense of pride, knowing that he was named after such an honorable man...

"Mr. Shepherd, daydreaming again are we?" Mrs. McCaskal his Math teacher asks, causing everyone to turn and face him

"Huh? Oh, sorry Mrs. M" Colin says, flashing her a charming smile just as the bell rings

"Alright class, you're to do pages 114 and 115; I want them on my desk first thing in the morning" she says as everyone rushes to leave class. He's almost 13 now and nearly as tall as his dad at this point. He's into girls, but he's not like his Uncle Mark used to be when it came down to girls. Though Uncle Mark's tricks have helped him get a couple of eighth grade girls numbers. Striding down the hall, he notices everyone waving at him. He's probably the most popular kid at Buckingham Browne and Nichols, at least in his grade level. It's a private school, because his mom said she'd rather 'have a scalpel plunge through my hand' than have he and his siblings go to public school. They live in Boston, but make the 30 minute commute to school. It works, because grandma Carolyn's house is 10 minutes (15 if Maddie and Kitty walk slow) away. So of course they walk to grandma's house until one of their parents pick them up.

He's about to turn the corner when he sees a couple of kids picking on his brother Ryan.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Colin shouts, pushing the boys out of the way

"He owes us lunch money!" one of the bigger boys shouts

"No he doesn't, now leave him alone!"

"Oh yeah, and what are you gonna do about it, punk?" the older boy asks, pushing Colin

Just as he's about to let the big brute have it, one of the assistant principles stops him.

"Alright, alright break it up...Westry, to my office, now!" Vice Principle Snyder tells him

"This isn't over, punk!" The older boy, Ben Westry shouts as he walks away.

"You okay Ry?" Colin asks his younger brother

"The upper middle kids are such bullies" the 10 and a half year old says as his brother reaches out and gives him a hand.

"Ah, Westry always has it out for the 5th graders, he's nothin but a sack of hot air" Colin says as they walk away

"Yeah, we he sure didn't look like it when his fist was about to come flying into my face" Ryan says rather dramatically as Colin shakes his head in amusement

"Ry, Avery hits harder than that guy and she's 8" Colin laughs

"Yeah, I'd like to see Avery fight that guy"

"Don't tempt her; now come on, we've gotta wait on the slow pokes"

"How'd we end up with so many sisters?" Ryan asks

"Well, dad has 4 of em so..."

"But mom's only got Aunt Trina and Uncle Archer..."

"We didn't get that fortunate" Colin laughs

* * *

_Manhattan-2000_

_Sighing heavily, Addison Shepherd looks down at her watch once again; after midnight and her husband is a no show. She stands up from the table, putting the food away rather angrily as she hears keys jingle before the soft 'beep' of the alarm lets her know that someone is there._

"_Mark, that you?" she calls out, keeping her eyes on the glass that she's cleaning_

"_Now why would Mark be coming over at midnight?" her husband asks with a laugh_

"_Well he does live here Derek...he got kicked out of his apartment...again" Addison says with a sigh_

"_Again? Lemme guess, sleeping with-"_

"_The landlord's wife" Addison says finishing his sentence_

"_Oooh, ouch; how many apartments does that make?"_

"_Five in the last 2 years"the redhead says rather casually, though her husband knows that this is her subtle way of hinting that she's upset with him for missing dinner again_

"_You're mad at me" Derek says leaning against the marble island counter, watching his wife_

"_I'm not mad"_

"_There is a land called passive agressiva, and you are their queen" Derek says with a grin, causing his wife to scowl_

"_I actually took the time out to cook tonight Derek, and I don't cook!"_

"_We know that...the hot dog thanksgiving told us that"_

"_What did you say?"_

"_Nothing nothing...I get that your'e mad Addie but-"_

"_I'm not mad Derek, I'm tired" she says with a sigh_

"_Tired?"_

"_Yes Derek; I'm becoming one of those wives"_

"_One of what wives?"_

"_You know, the ones whose husband's spend more time at work and they get bored and end up having an affair with their husband's best friends" Addison says softly_

"_...So you're saying you're going to sleep with Mark then? You'd better watch out Addison, he's been known to, attract a few things" Derek says with a laugh as his wife frowns, quickly moving past him_

"_Hey, hey, hey, I'm sorry; I didn't mean that" he says softly, reaching out to grab her by the waist as she tries to leave the kitchen_

"_Derek let go" she mutters_

"_We need to talk about this" he says; a part of him thinks she's being irrational but, an even bigger part says 'listen to your wife'_

"_Derek, don't-"_

"_I'm not letting go until you tell me how you're feeling" he says_

"_Fine. I feel...I feel alone, okay?" she says looking up at him_

"_Alone?"_

"_Yeah; like, Derek I get that you're going to have to go some late surgeries, I understand that; I'm a surgeon too. I knew what I signed up for but..."_

"_But what?"_

"_But sometimes, I feel like, like you're working late on purpose"_

"_What, Addie-"_

"_You asked Derek" she reminds him_

"_I did; honey, what makes you think I'm working late on purpose?"_

"_Derek, I'm not stupid; I look at the OR board and, half of those surgeries you take on, a resident could do"_

"_Addison, I'm good, the best at what I do. I don't want to give my patients some half assed resident who-"_

"_And I get that but, don't let your patients become more important than your family Der, or else, you'll wake up and not have one"_

"_Are you threatening to leave me?"_

"_No I'm just...I'm gonna want a family someday Derek, and I can somewhat handle it when you don't come home, but do you think a kid is really going to comprehend why daddy isn't home?" she asks_

"_...You wanna have a baby with me?"_

"_Well yeah; did you think I was going to marry you and not get a perfect little Shepherd baby out of you?" she teases, turning so that she can wrap her arms around his neck_

"_Oh; well what do ya say...we start trying for that perfect little Shepherd baby right now?" Derek mutters in her ear, his hands roaming over her body._

"_Why Dr. Shepherd, I never thought you'd ask" the redhead says with a smile, taking her husband by the hand and leading him upstairs to their bedroom to make love to him._

_9 months later, Colin James Shepherd is born._

_Chapter 2 to follow..._


	2. Ryan

**So, the snow is melting-yay! I mean, I like snow and all but, I live right on the gulf of Mexico so, snow isn't something us southerners see often; the last time it snowed was 2010 and before that...I was in Kindergarten (I'm 23 now). But whatever, life doesn't return to normal until tomorrow (since everything's been pretty much closed down) and I only have 1 class (Math which I HATE!) so, I figured I'd update this story. If I really sit down and focus, I could have this complete by the weekend. Thanks to LiasonAddekFan for being the first reviewer-I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far, and bless you for being able to handle that much snow LOL. Most of these chapters will have Addek flashbacks, just to show what life would be like if Derek didn't become a workaholic and the affair never happened. Oh, and also, much love to Addekfanforever, 'No Obligation to Try' is a beautiful story- Addek lovers, go check it out! Alright, I'm rambling on a tad too much so, enjoy chapter 2 my babies!**

**Xx**

* * *

Ryan:

"Alright guys, we're studying continents; and I do believe that you were supposed to be able to identify some of the rivers in Africa..." Mrs. Simmons said to her 5th grade class that afternoon.

"Hey Ry, I'll bet you won't do it" Jake Peters whispered to his best friend as the teacher looked up at them

"Ryan, Jake...what are you up to?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion

"Oh, Ryan said he could name some of the cities" Jake said rather casually

"And can you Ryan?"

"Uhh...yeah; you've got the Nile River...uhhh the Congo, the uhhh...urunderpants river" Ryan said as his classmates burst into laughter

"Alright Mr. Shepherd, very funny...how about a detention?" Mrs. Simmons threatened

"Oh, no thank you" Ryan said quickly, just as the bell rang

"Alright that's it for today...Ryan, please be prepared to give me the correct answers tomorrow. No more of this funny business; I'd hate to have to tell your parents that you're goofing off in school"Mrs. Simmons warned

"Oh, no need for that Mrs. S, I'll do better tomorrow, I swear" Ryan said with mock seriousness as his friends giggled from the hallway

"Goodbye Ryan" Mrs. Simmons said with a sigh and an eye roll as the 10 year old ran out of class to meet his friends who were nearly bursting at the seams with laughter

xx

"Good one man; urunderpants! That cracked me up" Jake laughed, slapping the boy on his shoulder

"You think she's really gonna tell your parents?" Robbie Smith asked

"Nah, she's too in love with my dad to tell" Ryan said rather confidently

"That's right, what'd she do when she found out who your dad was?" Stephen Kelly asked, leaning in closer to hear Ryan's account

"She got all 'Oh! Ryan is the best student in my class; he seems to have his father's wits, and his good looks' and then my mom gave her the Satan glare, and she shut up" Ryan said as everyone laughed

"The Satan glare, what's the Satan glare?" Jimmy Phillips asked

"Oh, that's the look she gives people when she really pissed off, or when she wants to intimidate them; like this" Ryan said, mimicking the look

"Wow, that's pretty cool; does it actually work?"

"Works on us, on my dad, the interns at the hospital...my mom's a pretty scary woman" Ryan said

"She doesn't seem scary when we come over" Jake said

"She's nice most of the time, but don't ever make her mad; when she works at the hospital, the residents and interns call her 'Dr. Ice Queen'" Ryan said, causing all of the boys to let out a collective 'whoa'.

"Hey punks, where's our lunch money" Kyle Westry, a stocky 7th grader shouted, scaring the boys out of their conversation

"Well, where is it?" Kyle said, stalking towards the small group of boys, immediately causing them to scatter.

"What about you Shepherd herder? I'm sure you've got plenty of lunch money for me to take" Kyle said, pushing Ryan onto the ground, just as his brother Colin was passing by

"Hey, leave him alone!" Colin shouted, pushing the boys out of the way

"He owes us lunch money!" one of the bigger boys, Ty Franklin argued

"No he doesn't, now leave him alone!"

"Oh yeah, and what are you gonna do about it, punk?" Kyle asked, pushing Colin

Just as he's about to let the big brute have it, one of the assistant principles stops him.

"Alright, alright break it up...Westry, to my office, now!" Vice Principle Snyder told him

"This isn't over, punk!" The older boy, Ben Westry shouted as he walks away.

"You okay Ry?" Colin asked his younger brother

"The upper middle kids are such bullies" the 10 and a half year old said as his brother reaches out and gives him a hand.

"Ah, Westry always has it out for the 5th graders, he's nothin but a sack of hot air" Colin said as they walk away

"Yeah, we he sure didn't look like it when his fist was about to come flying into my face" Ryan said rather dramatically as Colin shakes his head in amusement

"Ry, Avery hits harder than that guy and she's 8" Colin laughed

"Yeah, I'd like to see Avery fight that guy"

"Don't tempt her; now come on, we've gotta wait on the slow pokes"

"How'd we end up with so many sisters?" Ryan asked

"Well, dad has 4 of em so..."

"But mom's only got Aunt Trina and Uncle Archer..."

"We didn't get that fortunate" Colin laughed

He doesn't like it, having so many sisters; he only has 3 but, that's too many. It's not that he doesn't love his sisters but, girls are so annoying. Colin says he'll grow out of it in a couple of years but, he doesn't think so. Why couldn't his mom have had 2 more boys after she had Avery. His mother argues that things happen like they do for a reason; plus, she likes having 3 girls in the house. Dad says mom likes it because there's an imbalance of power, seeing as there are 4 girls to the 3 of them. He comes from a big family, but he wouldn't mind it if there was another guy around. All of his other cousins are practically adults on his dad's side. Aunt Nancy's boys are all in college or about to graduate, Aunt Kathleen has all girls, Aunt Liz's kids boys are all younger than him and Aunt Amy well, she hasn't had her baby yet; her other baby died when he was born. His mom doesn't exactly have a huge family, just Aunty Trina and Uncle Archer, who has vowed to never in his life have children, ever. Uncle Mark surprised them all by fathering 2 children, one of whom he didn't know about until a few years ago, Sloane, but she's like 21 and has a baby of her own. Then there's Liam, Uncle Mark's son with his wife (Whom he's divorced like 6 times already), Charlene. For Ryan Christopher Shepherd, there aren't enough boys around...

* * *

_Manhattan-2001_

"_...And, looks like its another boy" Nancy Shepherd said to her brother and sister-in-law at their 22 week ultrasound check up_

"_Another boy?" Addison said with a sigh_

"_Yep, sorry Addie; the men seem to run our family" Nancy said apologetically _

"_Don't worry honey, you'll have your two perfect little boys...and me of course" Derek said with a grin as his wife frowned _

"_Derek, I really wanted a girl this time" she said_

"_So, does this mean you're breaking your no more than 2 kid rule?" her husband asked hopefully_

"_...Looks like I'll have to; because with you, Colin, this little guy and Mark, I don't think I'll be able to handle all of the testosterone living in my house" she said with a frown as Nancy chuckled_

"_I can agree with you there sweetie; I've got a crew full of boys" _

"_How do you do it?"_

"_Lots of shopping trips" Nancy laughed_

"_Have you and Tom-"_

"_Oh no! We're done...if we didn't get a boy the first 5 times, chances are it won't be happening" _

"_So, we're trying for another baby then?" Derek grinned; he liked trying for babies and, there being a big possibility that he could get more boys. Having nearly 2 year old Colin was great, but he felt that the little guy needed someone to play with._

"_I'm not getting out of having less than 5 kids, am I?" Addison said with a sigh_

"_With the way men tend to run our family, I'd say no" Nancy said with a laugh_

"_I didn't want a big family, I would've been fine with 2, maybe 3" Addison sighed_

"_If you can pull that off, you'll be the first Shepherd woman to do so. I mean, I've got my rambunctious 5, Kathleen got lucky and got 4 girls, Liz was also unfortunate and got stuck with 4 boys and Amy well...I doubt if she ever has kids"_

"_She doesn't need them" Derek muttered as his wife hit him on the arm_

"_Amelia will have kids, when the time is right" Addison said in defense of the youngest Shepherd _

"_Maybe; but Derek here, he's not going to be able to stop at just 2...how many kids did you say you wanted when we were kids Der?" Nancy teased_

"_Nancy, don't; I've just gotten her to agree to one more" Derek said quickly_

"_How many did he say?" Addison asked_

"_I do believe the number was somewhere between 7 and 10" Nancy laughed as Addison gave her husband a horrified look_

"_10!? No way! If you get more than 3 out of me you're doing great"_

_Needless to say, they now have 5 children.._

_Chapter 3 to follow..._


	3. Avery

**The boredom is killing me so, this fanfic is going to be over rather fast...yeah, there isn't much to say at this point so, enjoy! Oh I do have more to say-this chapter is written is first person POV! **

**Xx**

* * *

Avery:

It's hard being me, I know I'm only 9 (my parents didn't want to put much time in between my brother and I) but, it's hard to be a 9 year old! I'm different, I already know this, and apparently so do the other kids at my school.

"Oh, my...God! Did you see Miley Cyrus at the MTV video music awards last night?" Hannah, a girl in my class said one morning as she stood in the mirror, putting lip gloss on her lips

"I know! She looked so cute!" Leslie, her best friend said, just as I was walking into the bathroom.

"I know one girl who didn't see the VMA's last night" Hannah said, eying me as she made the statement

"Oh, you mean _Avery_?" Leslie said, making sure to drag out the first letter of my name, knowing it annoys me

"You know she probably didn't watch; I wonder if her parents are super religious or something" Hannah said, pretending to be interested in me

"Hey Avery, did you see the VMA's last night?" Leslie asked me, just as I was about to walk into one of the bathroom stalls

"I did actually" I said with a sense of false politeness

"You did?" Both girls asked, completely shocked by my answer

"Since when did you start watching the VMA's?" Hannah wanted to know, sounding rather angry

"Oh, you know, I watched it with my Aunt Amelia, who said..."

"And here it comes" Leslie said, a smirk on her face

"That Miley Cyrus...is a slut!" I started laughing

"Miley isn' t a slut, you take that back you little weirdo!" Hannah said getting pretty angry; she's always had a thing for Miley Cyrus, ever since kindergarten

"Why should I? Who says twerking is cool, I mean..._unless you're a stripper or something_" I replied, casually leaning against the bathroom stall.

This comment, enrages Hannah who decides to push me, making me fall and hit my head on the toilet.

"That'll teach you to talk about Miley ya little freak!" Hannah shouted

"Yeah, nobody likes a weirdo Avery!" Leslie shouted, just as our student teacher Ms. Francine walked into the bathroom

"Girls, what on earth is going...Avery! Sweetheart, are you okay?" Ms. Francine is pretty nice; she's in her mid 20's so, she understands a lot

"I'm fine Ms. Francine" I say, standing up, brushing off my uniform; I hate being dirty, dad says I get it from my mom.

xx

Lunch is probably the worst part of the day for me; I usually end up sitting alone, because nobody likes me. Mom says that she had those same problems growing up, but she eventually grew out of them. I wish I could be strong, like mommy. She's my hero, aside from Aunty Trina and Aunty Amelia. They're all so, strong and confident in themselves; me, I'm not like that yet. Dad says I have the kind of personality I do because I spend so much time hanging around mom, Aunty Trina and Aunty Amelia. I have other aunts too (Aunt Liz, Aunt Kathleen, Aunt Nancy), but I'm not as close to them. Trina is my mom's older and only sister and Amelia is my dad's baby sister. Mom and Aunt Amy have a really close relationship; when Aunt Amy relapsed on drugs 2 years ago, mom was the only one who could get her into rehab, and when her baby was born without a brain, mom was the one who delivered it, I mean him. Aunty Trina is probably my favorite.

She's so strong; she survived living with Bizzy and managed to come out a strong, confident world class oncologist. Plus, there was the thing with my cousin James. You see, Aunty Trina got pregnant at a young age and Bizzy forced her to give the baby, James up for adoption. James' father used to work for my grandparents as a gardener. It wasn't until years later that Aunty Trina was able to find James(he had a real nice upbringing, Bizzy made sure that his parents were paid a substantial amount of money) and his dad, my Uncle Colin. They got married and then, Uncle Colin passed away not long after that...cancer. She was able to handle all of that and still, become an amazing doctor. James turned out to be pretty amazing too; he's a surgical intern this year. He decided to go to college and get another degree before becoming a doctor.

Mom says I'm going to be a lot like Aunty Trina (daddy's response? "God help us all; one Trina is enough, but 2 of them? I don't think the world's ready for that just yet"). Sometimes though, I wish I was like the other girls, but I don't tell mommy this. If she heard me say that, I'd get this speech on how I should be myself; but how can I be myself if nobody likes me? Once again I found myself sitting alone at lunch, because no one wanted to sit with me. Much to my dismay, Hannah and her idiot friends walked over to my table and sat down.

"Oh, hi Avery, having fun eating alone?" She asked as her little minions giggled stupidly in reply.

"Lunch by myself is just fine thank you" I reply politely, taking my apple out of my lunch bag which, Hannah quickly snatches from me

"Hey! You give that back!" I shout at her

"Oh, what are you gonna do about it? Give us some boring speech about why we should eat healthy foods?" Hannah asked, her idiot friends once again laughing

"No, because if you don't I'm gonna punch you, square in the face" I said to her

"Oooh, little miss perfect Shepherd is threatening me; my my Avery, violence is so unbecoming of you" Hannah said, trying to sound like me

"Give it back you little nitwit" I said, getting more and more pissed off by the second

"You want it, here!" She said with a laugh, throwing the apple at me, hitting me hard in the chest as everyone in the cafeteria gasped.

Not only was I embarrassed but I was humiliated as well; everyone in the cafeteria laughed at me. I stood there, willing myself not to cry; instead, I channeled Aunty Trina.

"You little bitch!" I yelled, charging at Hannah, completely freaking her out and causing her to fall onto the ground; unfortunately, before I could draw my fist back to punch her, Ms. Francine grabbed me. Ms. Monica the grade level principle saw what happened and scolded Hannah, but the damage had been done; I was humiliated in front of everyone. Turning to look back at Hannah one last time, I found myself bolting out of the cafeteria, hiding out in the nearest bathroom for, I don't know how long.

xx

It's not until I hear a soft knock at the door that I respond.

"Avery?" Ms. Francine called out softly to me

"Go away!" I said, trying to muffle the tears; I had been crying non stop since I left the cafeteria

"Its okay, I can handle it from here" Another familiar voice said. I know that voice, almost as good as I know my mom's; it's Aunty Trina

"Aunty Trina?" I called out

"You wanna talk about what happened?" She asked, not opening the door, respecting my boundaries

"What are you doing here?" I asked

"Lauren forgot her lunch, and then I saw what happened...you okay?" she asked me

"No, I hate Hannah"

"I noticed; you called her a bitch, rather loudly" Aunty Trina said, though I can see her smirk from the crack in the stall

"She's so, mean to me; were kids ever this mean to you?" I ask

"Why don't you come on out here and I'll tell you"

Slowly, I found myself opening the bathroom stall staring into Aunty Trina's eyes

"Oh, sweetheart; c'mere" she said opening her arms to me as I rushed into them, crying on her shoulder

"Why are kids, so mean?" I asked, inhaling the scent of her perfume; Oscar de la Renta.

"Kids have always been mean, even when I was little" she says, reaching down to wipe my tears

"Were they mean to you?"

"Sometimes, but only when they felt like they could pick on me"

"Mom says I'm a lot like you" I said softly

"That's because you are; I told your mother that she had you, just for me" Aunty Trina said, reaching down to poke my nose, making me smile a bit.

* * *

_Manhattan-2004_

"_I can't do this!" Addison Montgomery groaned before collapsing onto the bed. She was in labor with her 3__rd__ child, a little girl this time._

"_You can do this Addison" Her sister Trina said, reaching down to hold her hand_

"_You're just saying that because you want to spoil her" _

"_No...well, okay; I get that right. I mean, it's not like Archer's ever going to have children" Trina said with a laugh_

"_But you have the boys-"_

"_And did you forget, I've got one of those...or should I say I've got a grown man" the raven haired beauty said with a smile as another contraction hit_

"_Okay Addie, she's right there, just one more big push" Her sister-in-law Nancy told her_

"_You can do this Addie, just one more push" Her husband said encouragingly_

"_Oh shut up! You're not the one who has to do this, I do...God I can't believe I let you talk me into getting pregnant again!" _

"_You wanted to try for a little girl" Derek reminded his wife, just before he found himself wincing in pain as she squeezed his hand harder than normal_

"_Jesus Addie!"_

"_Shut up! It is not my fault that all you Shepherd's know how to produce is boys!" Addison shouted _

"_Okay, okay, just one more push Addie" Nancy instructed _

"_Oh God, Oh God...Oh, God!" Addison screamed just before the room was filled with the screams of a baby girl_

"_Congratulations guys, you've got your little girl; the first of the Shepherd's to break the rule and have both girls and boys" Nancy said with a smile before handing the baby off to the nurses to be cleaned and weighed._

xx

"_Stop hogging her Trina, I'd love to see my niece" Archer Montgomery said the following afternoon_

"_Oh, relax Archer, you can see her anytime you want; but right now it's my turn" Trina murmured softly, swaying back and forth with the baby in her arms_

"_Baby Hog" Archer muttered_

"_Oh, please; you like spoiling the boys anyways...she's the first girl so, of course she's going to be spoiled by her Aunty Trina" she said, just as the baby began to cry_

"_There, now you have to give her up" _

"_Oh, fine; but once she's done eating, she comes straight back to me" Trina said, handing the baby over to Addison who simply chuckled_

"_You're already a crowd favorite little one" the redhead said softly to her daughter who eagerly began to suckle her breast_

"_Do you really have to do that while I'm in the room Addie, geez!" Archer said, wrinkling his nose in disgust_

"_Oh, relax Archer, it's not like you saw my boob or anything" Addison said dismissively_

"_...She needs a name Addison" Trina said_

"_Oh she has one" _

"_And, what is it?"_

"_This is Avery, Avery Alexandra Shepherd" she said softly_

"_Avery?"_

"_Yeah, it fits her; she looks like an Avery, don't you think?"_

"_Avery Alexandra, its very fitting" Trina said with an approving nod_

"_She's already got you wrapped around her finger, doesn't she?" Addison said watching her sister _

"_She may be yours physically, but you had her, just for me" Trina said, reaching out to touch the baby's cheek._

_Chapter 4 to follow..._


	4. Maddie and Kitty

**The last official chapter before the epilogue; It took me a bit longer to update because the snow's finally melted (yay!) and I went back to class and had a ton of assignments to finish... Any who, seeing as there are 5 Shepherd children, two of them being twins, it only felt right to have the twins share a chapter. I've been thinking of doing another story based on Avery's chapter but...we'll have to see how that goes. Any who, I hope you all have enjoyed this little ficlet that was brought to you by me being snowed in, haha! Until next time, thank you all so much for reading, and don't forget to leave me a review!**

**Xx**

* * *

Madeline and Katherine (Kitty and Maddie)

_Boston, 2006_

"_No. Nancy, __**please**__ tell me that I'm __**not**__ pregnant, again" Addison Shepherd groaned as she lay back on the exam table of her practice._

"_Sorry Addie, but you are...and I hate to be an even more bearer of bad news but..."_

"_But what Nancy?"_

"_...It's twins" Nancy said apologetically, watching as the color drained from her sister-in-law's face_

"_**I, **__am going to __**kill**__ Derek!" She growled as she sat up slightly to get a better glimpse of the ultrasound; sure enough, there were 2 tiny globs...twins_

"_I hate him, I hate him __**so**__ much right now!" _

"_I know, I know; if he wasn't my baby brother, I'd seriously hurt him" Nancy said, just as Derek walked into the room._

"_Hey Nance, I was wondering if you'd seen...__**oh!**__ Hey Addie!" Derek said as his wife glared at him_

"_What'd I do now?"_

"_It's more about what you didn't do...congratulations daddy" Nancy said with a smile, showing Derek the ultrasound_

"_I...wow, wait, there are 2 of them?" Derek said in amazement_

"_Yes captain dick face, there are two of them!" Addison snapped_

"_...Those would be the hormones, there'll be twice as many of those, seeing as she carrying two babies" Nancy muttered to her brother_

"_Honey, just relax" Derek said_

"_Relax? __**Relax**__!? Derek you want me to __**relax**__!? I am __**39**__, that's one year from __**40!**__ I am pregnant...__**with twins**__! We already have __**3 kids at home**__ Derek, or did you forget about our 6 year old, our 4 year old and our __**2 and a half year old**__!?"_

"_Addie, calm down; we've got 3 kids at home, I'm sure we can handle 2 more" Derek said as his wife smacked him on the arm_

"_Ahh! That hurt!"_

"_Yeah? Well I hate you! __**5 kids **__Derek, __**5 fucking kids**__! __**You're not even home that much**__! Who's going to have time to raise 5 little kids!? __**I work**__, Derek and I am __**not**__ giving up my career..."_

"_Then I will" Derek said quietly_

"_What?"_

"_Look, I know 5 kids wasn't exactly what we, bargained fo but, we're having 5 kids Addie, we have 5 kids. That isn't changing anytime soon honey. I didn't realize with me working so much just how stressed out you were with the kids"_

"_Its, its a lot Derek, a whole lot; add 2 more kids to that and-"_

"_Hey; hey, hey, hey, just relax...I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that you don't get overwhelmed, okay?" Derek said, taking his wife's face in her hands_

"_Yeah, okay" she whispered_

xx

There are two of them;every time people see them, they just have to stop and marvel. _She_ finds it annoying, while _**she**_, _**she**_ on the other hand, she _**loves**_ it. Madeline and Katherine, Maddie and Kitty, aka the twins. The youngest of the Shepherd clan, born at 31 weeks, much to their mother's dismay. She had hoped that the girls would last another 3 weeks, but that didn't seem to be apart of their plan. They're alike, but they're different at the same time; fraternal, but they could pass for being identical sometimes. She(Madeline) is the older of the two, by 3 whole minutes, and makes no shame in letting people know _I'm the oldest._ When her parents decided to name her after her godfather Mark, she truly took on his personality(including being flirty). She (Katherine) on the other hand, is the total opposite. Quiet and reserved, Katherine Amelia is the nurturer of the two, much like her mother. It's easy to tell them apart, especially when they're at school, because Maddie is always the troublemaker.

"Alright boys and girls, its time to go outside" Ms. Kimbrough, the twins kindergarten teacher said. Everyone quickly made their way to their cubbies to grab their sweaters and jackets, seeing as it was rather cool out that day. Of course Hayden Parker wants to be the line leader, even though Ms. Kimbrough said that Maddie could be the line leader. Pushing past the other student, Hayden makes his way to the front of the line.

"No Hayden, Ms. Kimbrough said I was the line leader" Madeline informs him; but he's quite big to be 6 and easily pushes the redhead out of her spot in line.

"Now I'm the line leader" Hayden said haughtily

Frowning, Madeline gives Hayden a glare before poking him in the eye, causing the little boy to scream.

"Ooohh Maddie, you're gonna get it!" Maureen Paul said as Ms. Kimbrough rushed towards the front of the line, giving the blonde a disapproving look

"Madeline, _what did you do_?"

"Hayden pushed me out of line!" the 6 year old argued

"Madeline, what did we say about when other people touch you?"

"Tell the teacher" Maddie said with a pout

"And did you do that?"

"No, but-"

"There's not buts young lady; you'll have to sit on the time out bench"

"But, but that's not fair! He pushed me!"

"And Hayden will be punished as well, but you should've told me Maddie" Ms. Kimbrough explained.

So as the children walked outside, Maddie wore a scowl on her face, being forced to sit down on the bench during play time, where she angrily kicked up wood chips.

"Kicking up wood chips is only going to make you sit longer Maddie" Ms. Kimbrough reminded her as she frowned.

Meanwhile Katherine watched her sister from her spot on the playground. Much like Avery, it took Kitty a while to make friends, seeing as she was so shy.

"Kitty, come play with us!" Claire Bowers called out to her, causing the redhead to turn around and look at her. Claire was always nice to her she mused, giving her sister one last look, Kitty ran off to play.

* * *

Once the last bell rung, signaling the end of school, Maddie angrily walked past her sister, not bothering to wait for her like she always did.

"Maddie, wait!" Kitty called out, hurrying to gather her things from her cubby.

"Leave me alone Kitty, go play with your new best friend Claire" Maddie huffed; she stayed angry during play time so, she wasn't allowed to play at all.

"Maddie, don't be like that" her sister rationed with a sigh

"Why not? You like Claire better than me!"

"Maddie, no I don't; you're my sister, but you were in time out. What was I supposed to do?"

"Play with only me" Maddie muttered

"You wouldn't do the same for me" Kitty pointed out

"Yes I would!"

"Nuh uh; when I kicked Seth and got sent to time you, you played with Janie and didn't wait for me"

"...I hate you!" Maddie screamed before storming off, leaving Kitty alone with tears in her eyes.

"Hey Kitty, what's wrong?" Avery asked as the 5 Shepherd children met up in the hallway

"Maddie's mad at me" Kitty said tearfully

"Hey Maddie, why are you mad at Kitty?" Ryan asked his baby sister

"I got in trouble and Kitty didn't wait for me!"

"Oh come Maddie, you know Kitty loves you...what'd you get in trouble for anyways?" Colin asked with a smile

"She poked Hayden in the eye because he pushed her"

"No one likes a tattletale Kitty!" Maddie said sticking her tongue out

"Hey Maddie, be nice; you know Kitty loves you. Besides, you're always in time out" Avery said

"So! But still she should've-"

"You don't always wait on Kitty when she gets into trouble" Colin said to his younger sister

"...No, I don't" Maddie said with a sigh before walking towards her sister, who was currently turned away from her.

"Kitty?" She said cautiously

"What?" The tiny redhead snapped

"I'm sorry I yelled at ya and was mean to you today" the little blonde said

"It's fine; but if you ever say you hate me again, I'll hurt you" Kitty warned before throwing her arms around her sister

"And all is right with the world again; come on you two, let's go" Colin said with a smile as all 5 Shepherd children made their way out of the school building and headed towards Nana's.

_Epilogue to follow..._


	5. Epilogue I: Derek-No Regrets

**So, I know I said I wouldn't take so long to finish this story but, life got super crazy busy after it snowed and I've been pretty frazzled...and then I went back to class and midterms happened and I'm working 2 jobs and...all of this is code for 'real life took precedence for a while'. I hope you all understand. Initially, I was going to make this 5 chapters, but I felt that Addison and Derek should each have their own chapters; though Addison's POV will sound very much like the original 'Happily Ever After', but with a few more scenes. Any who, we have reached the end of our story for the most part; these last 2 chapters are basically epilogues. I'm so glad that you guys enjoyed reading about this version of 'The Shepherd's'. I've written 4 different versions of 'The Shepherd's' in my 2 and a half years of writing fan fiction...Anyway, as you all know I'm a pretty visual person; I like to have face claims when I write; it helps make the characters and the story seem more, realistic, at least to me. Introducing, the Shepherd children:**

**Colin- a young Andrew Trischitta (With Darker hair and Patrick Dempsey's eyes)**

**Ryan-Chandler Canterbury **

**Avery-McKenzie Foy (With Kate Walsh's eyes)**

**Madeline-Marion Broderick (with Strawberry Blonde hair)**

**Katherine-Tabitha Broderick (with Strawberry Blonde hair)**

**Happy Reading you guys!**

**Xx**

* * *

Derek:

When I think about my life, I never saw it turning out like it did; I never thought I'd be a world class surgeon, married to a beautiful woman with 5 crazy, wonderful kids. Growing up, I always had this fear of dying young, like my father. It's part of the reason why I never wanted kids. I was only a bit older than Colin when Amelia and I saw our dad murdered, killed by 2 guys for his watch. I was never the same and Amy well, Amy's life was ruined by it. I'm pretty much the same age my father was when he was killed, and it's scary. I still have dreams that I'm going to die and leave behind a wife and 5 kids. It makes me worry for Colin and for Maddie and Kitty, because they're all the same age Amy and I were when dad died. The plus to this situation, is that I have an amazing wife, who assures me every day that I'm not my father and I'm not going to die. In fact, every morning we wake up, she makes it a habit to place her hand on my chest and tell me 'you didn't die today'.

It might seem silly to most people but, it's comforting to me. She's been doing it everyday since I told her about my dad; it helps me out a lot. My family is everything to me; just like it was to my dad. Though the difference between my father and I, is that I'm the only boy while I have 2 boys. Technically, we had Mark but, you get my point. I have 5 children, which is crazy to me now that I think of it. Addison and I may be well off but, taking care of 5 kids is challenging; it makes me wonder how my parents did it with my sisters and I. Keeping track of 5 kids while still trying to maintain a healthy relationship with my wife, it gets stressful sometimes.

It'll be 20 years for us next year; wow, 20 years of being married to my best friend(Mark gets jealous when I say that). When I first met my wife, I was pretty sure that she'd totally reject me. You see, I wasn't as handsome as I am now(shocker I know), but there was something about me that caused Addison to take interest in me. Now that I'm married to her, I feel like the luckiest bastard on the planet. It hasn't been all perfect for us; I thought I was gonna lose her a few years back when we lived in New York...

xx

_New York:_

"_Addison, what are you doing?" Derek asked his wife as he came home one night from working the late shift at the hospital, only to find his wife in their closet, suitcases strewn about._

"_Addison?"_

"_I'm leaving Derek" the redhead said suddenly_

"_Leaving, what-"_

"_I'm not happy anymore Derek; all you do is work, I'm here with the kids while still trying to successfully run a department I just..I can't Derek"_

"_Whoa, Addie, slow down; talk to me, tell me-"_

"_**Talk to you**? Derek, **I've been trying to talk to you for the last 4 months**, but you're never here! All you do is work! You're so caught up in work that you've failed to notice..."_

"_Notice, notice what Addison"_

"_I'm pregnant Derek...with twins" She said, watching as all color drained from her husband's face_

"_Wh-what?"_

"_I've been trying to tell you, but that's right, work is more important now. It's 'Not now Addison', 'Addison I'm sleeping', 'Can't it wait?' 'We'll talk about it later honey'" she snapped; she was right, he had been so excited about the prospect of becoming chief of surgery that he had failed to realize that she had gotten, bigger in the past couple of months. Now, as he looked at her, really, truly looked at her, he saw just how much this whole thing was wearing on her. She just didn't say anything, because she knew how important it was to him. She put her feelings aside for him, to make sure he was happy._

"_Addison...oh, Addie I'm so sorry" Derek said, tears filling his eyes as he walked towards her, falling to his knees as he placed his hands on her slightly swollen belly, where his children lay._

"_I am so, so sorry Addie; I just, I was so caught up in being chief that-"_

"_It clouded your judgment" she said finishing his sentence as she ran a hand through his hair_

"_Yeah, but I swear it won't happen again because, I'm giving up my shot at being chief"_

"_What? Derek you can't just-"_

"_I was doing this, just in case...in case I, you know"_

"_In case what honey?"_

"_Addison, you know my biggest fear is-"_

"_Oh, Derek; you're not your father honey. You're not going to die and leave me alone to raise our children. Derek, look at me; you're an **amazing father**, a good husband. Babe, you don't have to overcompensate by doing anything else. I, **we're,** already proud of you" she said, pulling him towards her, giving him a passionate kiss._

"_I'm sorry Addie, I'm so sorry" he muttered against her lips, tears falling down his cheeks, as she took him by the hand, leading him to their bed, a certain look of hunger in her eyes_

"_Addison-"_

"_Ah, right now, I need my husband, and I mean, really, **really** need you" she said lowly._

* * *

Needless to say, I was there was Katherine and Madeline were born, never missing anything in their lives. Sometimes, I'll admit that I do miss the OR, though Addie's told me countless times that I can go back if I want to. Teaching is great, mentoring other aspiring young Neurosurgeons who want to make a difference in the world. There's a plus side to not being tied down in an OR too; more time for research. But I'm a surgery junkie, so I end up in surgery a couple times a week. Addison and I have a practice that we run with my sisters, Mark and our good friends Sam and Naomi who decided to extend their medical co op to New York. Working at the practice makes things easier.

Nancy, Liz and I are the only ones who are constantly in the office. Mark, and Addie are full time department heads at the hospital, coming in to consult when necessary. Sam and Naomi are mainly LA based, coming out to New York for the special cases. I like the idea of being my own boss, but that doesn't mean that I don't get the urge to be in an OR for hours on end. The plus side to working at the practice, is that I've got easy access to the kids, who walk to my mom's house after school. Today's no different; by the time I get to mom's the kids are there, happy to see me. As much as I love surgery, there's nothing that makes me happier than being a father.

It's the little things about my kids that make life worth it. The way Colin, Ryan and I can sit out in the backyard and dissect frogs, and then play basketball. It's the private moments I share with Avery when she and I are reading mine and Addison's old text books. It's the way I Maddie and I make mud pies in the summertime, and how I will willingly play dress up with Kitty. It's the chaotic family dinner's and entertaining Saturday mornings. It's the high grocery bills and the insane road trips to the house in the Hamptons. Those things, are what make life and the decisions I've made worth it.

_Chapter 6 to follow..._


	6. Epilogue II: Addison-A Life That's Good

**So, I made myself finish this story; my writing muse has been kinda doing its own thing and I've had to force it to work again. I'm sorry it took so long for me to publish this story. I do hope you all have enjoyed this little AU glimpse into the Shepherd's future. Also, I haven't forgotten about my other Addek Shepherd stories like the Gone in the Night and Fighting Our Way Through The Darkness series. Again, this chapter is basically the original story, but with a bit more added to it. I do hope you all have enjoyed this story and thank you all so much for reading!**

**Xx**

**P.S. The lyrics and the title of this epilogue come from the TV show 'Nashville' starring Connie Britton- the other redhead in my life LOL.**

* * *

"_Two arms around me_

_Heaven around me and a family that always calls me home_

_Four wheels to get there, enough love to share and a sweet, sweet, sweet soul_

_At the end of the day, Lord I pray, I have a life that's good"-**Nashville (TV Show)**_

Addison: A Life That's Good

Life, life is good. I never thought I'd be here, in this place but, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have everything I could ever ask for. I have an amazing husband, 5 wonderful kids (though I never pegged myself as the type to have 5 kids), a great career. I literally couldn't ask for anything more. Sure, there are the grueling moments, the hard times but, I try and tell myself that as long as my good times outweigh the bad, I can handle anything that life throws my way. When I wake up in the mornings, I have a reason to happily and gratefully roll out of bed; Derek, Colin, Ryan, Avery, Madeline and Katherine. Those 6 people mean...everything to me. Oh God I'm tearing up like you all can see me. Any who, they make life just a little more bearable for me. They, are the reason that I believe that a God exists, because it's the only reason I could've given such a wonderful life.

It's the same routine everyday: pull into the drive way, get out of the car, go to the front door, open it, be approached by screaming children.

Except, not today. Today, my house is quiet, very, very quiet. Which is odd, considering I have 5 children.

"That's odd; the kids don't have anything scheduled for today" I say looking down at my iPhone; it's become a godsend really. With 5 kids and both Derek and I working crazy work schedules, it keeps us very, very organized.

"The schedule's clear for today...hmmm, I wonder where everybody is?"

I soon find myself wandering into the kitchen, which isn't really empty much, seeing as our kids have high metabolisms...which is a bitch on our grocery bill. Just last month, we spent enough money to feed 3 families of 4.

"Hello? Derek? You guys, I'm home"

Still, nothing. It's weird, it's after 5, so I know they're home...ah, there it is. The sound I live for, two sets of feet running down the hallway. The twins have found me first.

"Hi guys" I say to my little girls, both of them rushing up to hug me. My little sweethearts.

They're 6 now, both mini Derek's, though they have my hair and of course Derek's eyes.

"Hi mommy!" Maddie, the more aggressive of the two says, instantly demanding a kiss

"Hi Maddie, and hello to you Kitty" Of course Kitty is the shyer of the two, so I have to do a bit more to get something out of her

"Hi mommy, did you have a good day at work today?" Kitty asks

"I did; did you have a good day at school?"

"Uh huh; but Maddie got in trouble and had to sit in time out"

"Maddie..." She's been the troublemaker since before birth; it was always Madeline kicking or punching me in the ribs while I was pregnant

"Hayden pushed me so, I poked him in the eye" she says with a shrug; sometimes, I don't what Derek and I are going to do with her.

"You know, when we decided to name her after Mark, she really does live up to it; because Mark was a bully as well" Derek says; it's only then that I notice him. He's sitting on the couch, book in his hand. He stands up, moving towards me, pressing a kiss to my lips; it's enough to make me go weak at the knees and force back an involuntary moan that wants to escape my throat but, my 6 year olds are standing there so, I pull away, even though I so don't want to.

The fact that we've been married for nearly 20 years now is a testament to how long many said that we'd make it. Our families weren't exactly fond of us dating(my family _hated_ Derek and Derek's mother hated or still hates me rather, to a certain degree), but over the years, they've learned to accept our decision.

"Hi"

"Hey yourself; long day?" Derek asks

"Pretty long, you?"

"Ah, not that long; I only taught a couple of classes today and I was asked to do a consult over at Mass Gen"

"Oh?"

"Mmhm; Alzheimer's patient, they think that maybe my research I've been doing could help"

"Does this mean that you'll end up in surgery sometime this week?"

"Maybe; I'm not even sure that it'll work; besides, I think I'm getting rusty. The fact that I spend most of my time teaching-"

"Derek, listen to me; you're a great doctor, honey. You're one of the best I know and the fact that you didn't take the job as chief and decided that your family was more important, doesn't make you any less of a surgeon. People come from all over the world to hear you lecture and to see you perform surgeries. If you want more time in the OR then you should do it. Reed's been dying to get you to sign a contract"

"I do miss it"

"Then, if you miss it, go back to it Derek; you can always just, guest lecture at the school when they need you and take on more OR time"

"What about the kids?"

"Well, I'm working at the practice most of the time so, I can be home with them and, if need be there's always your mom, Trina, or your sisters; and we do have Jenna on standby as a nanny...the kids will be fine; they're not exactly babies anymore Derek" I inform him, gesturing towards the two six year olds in our arms

"You're right; I think I'll go talk to Reed tomorrow; I'm sure he'll be happy with that"

"I'll bet he will be...hey, were are the three musketeers?"

"Colin and Ryan are out back and Avery's...well, I don't know where she is"

"Probably with her nose in one of my medical books I'm sure"

"At least we have one kid who wants to follow in our footsteps"

"Hey, don't forget Colin wants to be a neurosurgeon like you and Amelia and Ryan wants to be a plastic surgeon like Mark so..."

"3 out of 5 isn't bad; now if only we could convince these two to become doctors"

"Nope. I'm gonna become an astronaut" Madeline says

"And I want to be a mommy, like mommy" Katherine says softly.

xx

After spending a few more moments with Derek and the girls, I head out back to check on my 2 little princes.

"Hey boys, what are you up to?" I ask, but immediately with that I could retract that statement; they're dissecting frogs

"Hey mom"Colin, our oldest says with a smile; the fact that he's almost 13 and his voice is starting to change lets me know that he's not exactly a baby anymore, but a young man

"I would ask for hugs but, you guys are being just a little too disgusting for my taste right now"

"Aw come on mom, you stick your hands inside of a woman's body cavity nearly everyday, how can frogs be so gross?" Ryan, the second oldest, questions

"That's because people and frogs are totally different...by the way, are you guys doing this for fun or as a school assignment?"

"Fun" they say unanimously before laughing

"You two are definitely your father's sons...lemme guess, you two found that poor innocent frog by the lake and decided to bring it home and splatter frog juice and guts all over my table huh?"

"Yeah"

"Pretty much" both boys say before laughing

"Alright you two, finish up with that and then go upstairs and wash up for dinner"

"What are we having?" Colin calls out as she walks away

"Frog!" I say over my shoulder, not missing the looks of horror that come over my son's faces

"Oh mom that's gross!"

"Oh, so eating frog is disgusting, but dissecting one is totally cool?"

"Yeah!" Colin calls back, making her shake her head and laugh

* * *

I find my middle girl, Avery in her seemingly neat room curled up with a very large book, glasses perched on the bridge of her knows, looking...exactly like me. It's enough to make me chuckle softly before knocking

"Come in" her voice is soft, like she's trying to lose herself in reading, something she does when she's had a rough day.

"Hey you, I figured I'd find you up here"

"Hi mom" Avery says; and instantly I can tell that something's wrong. It's that look in her eyes she gets when she's trying to remove her mind from a situation.

"What are you reading?"

"Oh, just this book about the holocaust" She says nonchalantly

"_You're reading a book about the holocaust and you're 9_?"

"Mmhm, what's wrong with that? Would you rather me be reading some sleezy tabloid or walking around like some airhead talking about Justin Beiber?" She says; she definitely inherited Trina and Amy's sarcasm

"You have spent way too much time on the phone talking to Amelia and Trina"

"That's why they, are my inspirations...and you of course"

"Good to know; think you can stop reading about Hitler long enough and wash up for dinner?"

"Sure, what are we having?"

"Well, I told your brothers we were having frog"

"Oh ew mom, that's just gross!"

"I was only kidding! They're outside dissecting a frog" I can't help but laugh at the fact that Avery is now wearing the same expression I was when she saw what her boys were doing

"They are so disgusting, almost as disgusting as daddy when he goes...fishing, yuck!"She says, making me laugh, her diversion tactic to distract me from what happened at school today. Of course Trina called me.

"...So..."

As if she can read my mind, Avery sighs heavily, rolling her eyes before looking up at me, her eyes identical to mine

"She called you, didn't she?"

"She did...only a few moments after Ms. Francine called me"

"...Am I grounded?"

"I dunno, should you be? Trina says you called Hannah a bitch"

"Well, maybe" my baby girl mutters, into my shirt; she may not want to admit it but, she's still that 4 year old who's afraid of the dark.

"You called her a bitch Aves, really?"

"She deserved it! She threw an apple at me and pushed me down in the bathroom!"

"Ms. Francine says this has been going on for a while now?"

"It has"

"Avery, sweetheart why didn't you-"

"Because it's different mom! Kids are mean, really, really mean!" Avery yells; I knew this day was coming; I just never expected it to come so soon. She may want to be just like Trina, but she's more like me than she realizes.

"When I was 9, I had this, frizzy red hair" I tell her, causing her to pull back slightly

"Huh?"

"I had this, bright orange hair, kinda like Lucille Ball. I was chubby, I had freckles and, I had this gap in between my teeth that was later fixed by braces...and I wore glasses"

"No!" Avery says, staring back at me in horror

"Oh yes; I wasn't always as fabulous as I am now"

"Really?"

"...Ask your Uncle Archer about, Piglet"

"Piglet?"

"Uh huh; that, was his nickname for me when we were growing up"

"Why'd he call you that?"

"I have no idea; but anyway, kids used to tease me all the, about my hair, about the gap in between my teeth...oh and my hair, it was the absolute worst! Even Bizzy complained about it. She tried getting it straightened but, apparently perms make your hair curly or, something like that. So, now I had this big, orange-y looking...curly hair. Oh God, you should've heard how the kids teased me. I got called everything a clown, Ronald McDonald...and to top it all off, I was smart; annoyingly smart at that"

"You were?"

"Yeah, and my teachers all liked it because I was smart; that and the fact that my father...any who, I got picked on even more because of that"

"Did the bullying ever stop?"

"Yep...once I got to college"

"College!?"

"Uh huh; it wasn't until college that I grew into my looks and people started accepting me for who I was. College was where I found my very first real best friend, aside from Savvy of course"

"You mean, Aunty Nae?"

"Yep"

"So, I'll have to wait until college for people to stop picking on me?"

"Oh, no, no, no; I'm simply saying...you have to find people who are willing to accept you for who you are"

"...Will I ever find them, mommy?" hearing her say the word mommy nearly makes my heart melt; she's my baby girl, she shouldn't be going through any of this, but it's part of the territory with being a mom: growing up.

"Yeah, you will, one day sweetie, I promise"

"I love you"

"I love you too; now, no more of this sad stuff...and, next time, try not to call anyone a bitch. Trina's never going to let me live it down" I say with a laugh, just as I get a text from Amelia, also mocking me about Avery's choice of words

"What is it, what are you laughing at?" she wants to know

"Well, apparently Trina told Amy that you called someone a bitch"

"Really? What'd Aunt Amy say?"

"She says she taught you well" I say with a roll of my eyes, catching the grin on my daughter's face; it's nice to see her smiling again

"Alright, go wash up for dinner" I say with a shake of my head.

xx

I head downstairs to find Derek already in the kitchen trying to decide what to feed our kids for dinner. It's so cute, seeing him standing there, not afraid to don an apron as he stirs prepares the ground beef that will eventually become the homemade meatballs for our spaghetti. Even after all of these years, Derek Christopher Shepherd still has the ability to make my heart skip a beat. His back is towards me as he prepares dinner, so I take the opportunity to sneak up behind him, startling him a bit.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you"

"You know, you really are beautiful"

"Yeah? You think I'm beautiful, even after having 5 kids, 2 of them being twins?"

"Addison, you, are the most beautiful woman I have ever met; the fact that you had 5 kids and they're all mine, only makes you more attractive to me" he tells me, pulling me in for a kiss; this time, I allow one of those, involuntary moans to softly escape my lips while the girls aren't around.

Our marriage isn't perfect, it never has been; there are those rare moments when we argue, but they don't last long. The longest fight we've had was when I got pregnant with the twins and was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed with having other 3 kids along with the fact that Derek had just gotten the offer to become chief, which meant him spending more time at the hospital. It only took him learning that I was pregnant to refuse the offer as chief, making the brash decision to spend more time at home with his family; and I've been grateful for that decision ever since.

"You know, next year will be 20 years" I remind him, wrapping my arms around his neck

"I know; 20 years of us being married" he replies with a grin

"20 years is a long time to be married to someone"

"Yeah, but 20 years seems like nothing when you're married to the perfect person"

"You really think I'm perfect?"

"You, are everything I could ever ask or think of in a wife" he says

"Derek..." and then I can't help it; our kiss becomes PG-13, just as the twins show up downstairs

"Ew! Kissing is gross!" Madeline informs us

"Sorry girls" I say pulling away from Derek's lips muttering a low 'we'll finish this later', before grabbing an apron to help him finish dinner.

* * *

Dinner is as usual in the Shepherd household: crazy and chaotic. Of course it ends with someone being disgusting and showing their food. That and the twins get into an argument about something that happened at school, involving Maddie being mad at Kitty for, whatever reason. Sometimes, I can't keep up with our girls. They talk so animatedly and fast that, it's hard to keep up. Eventually, they work things out amongst themselves; because the next thing I know, they're hugging it out in the kitchen. It's enough to make me smile. Once dinner is done, homework is checked before everyone settles into their usual evening activities, which includes playing video games for the boys, while Maddie, and Kitty sit around listening to Derek play the guitar as Avery and I curl up in the recliner by the fireplace with a good book.

Soon enough, its time for the children to start preparing for bed, seeing as they have school in the morning, and only a few more weeks until Thanksgiving break, which means that mid year exams will soon begin taking place. Once the twins are safely tucked into bed,(their nightlight on of course, even though Maddie pretends she doesn't need it). After that half an hour routine is done, I finally get a few moments to shower and unwind from my hectic day via a long hot shower. Some 20 minutes later, a cloud of steam is following me out of the bathroom as I finds Derek already in bed, medical journal in his hands; this time, Trina is on the cover, having found some innovative treatment that will somehow change the face of chemotherapy treatment in cancer patients.

"Reading Trina's research I see" I can't help but tease as I crawls into bed next to him

"It's compelling; the fact that she's had time to do this with a 7 year old kid on her hands plus another in Manhattan doing his surgical residency makes this even more interesting to read" Derek says; Trina has decided that life is far too short to spend it alone and decided to adopt a child; She already has James, her son she gave up for adoption, whose quite thrilled to have 7 year old Lauren be apart of his family.

"She's been working on this research for years but, she's been putting it off; I think she decided to look into it again after Colin, you know" I say; Colin was the first guy I think I've ever seen my sister love. They were together when she was in high school. Bizzy paid James' adoptive family a substantial amount of money to keep things under wraps. Colin's family was fired (they worked for us). It sent Trina on this path to becoming this, bitter angry woman. She eventually found James and Colin. Seeing my sister so happy was, the best thing in the world. Unfortunately, Colin had cancer, advanced stage. He did however, ask Trina to marry him; and of course she did. He passed away 6 weeks after that; I didn't think she'd ever get over losing him again. I think she's getting there, slowly. Adopting Lauren and getting closer to James is helping. Plus, she's been seeing this guy, Jason who works in plastics with Mark for a couple of weeks now so, I think she'll be okay.

"I think that's what makes this even more amazing to read...I think Colin would be proud of her" Derek says

"He really would...hey Derek?"

"Hmmm?"

"You know I love you, right?"

"Well, its no secret Addie" he teases

"No really, I do...and if something like that ever happened to you-"

"Hey, it won't" Sometimes, when I'm feeling all crazy, I let those 'what if' thoughts crowd my brain. Luckily, Derek is always there to reassure me that he's not going anywhere

"But it could"

"Addison, I don't have cancer, and I'm not dying...I don't plan on dying until I'm at least 90, or have found a cure for Alzheimer's"

"I like the idea of you dying at 90 much better...I'd like it if you didn't die at all"She tells him honestly

"Let's not talk about the idea of me dying...I do believe that you promised me a later on what we were doing in the kitchen before Kitty and Maddie walked in on us" he says with a smirk

"I did promise you that we'd finish up later"I mutter against his lips, finally allowing myself to give in to what I've been craving for the last few hours since I got home: my husband.

Finally, we're alone, sort of. It's moments like these that I cherish the most. The whispers in the dark, the moans, the way he makes me feel when he's inside of me. Making love to my husband is the thing I look forward to when I come home. We're a team, 100 percent solid but, I think little intimate moments like this, only solidify our bond. That and, Derek's probably the most amazing lover I've ever had-not that I've had that many but...oh, you get my point. For me, it's the dramatic build up, the way my breath hitches, the way my heart feels like it's going to explode out of my body...the way I feel when I cum, it's a euphoric bliss; it's my happy place. Though, it the after, coming down from the high when I rest my head on his chest, listening to how fast his heart is racing. The way our fingers intertwine together so perfectly. The chills I get when he runs his fingers down my spine. It's in those moments that I'm the safest, the most content. Though there's nothing more rewarding, then when he kisses my forehead and whispers 'I love you', it's those moments that I live for. It's in those moments that I'm able to fall into a peaceful sleep; but not without thanking whatever God there is out there, for giving me such an amazing life.

xxx


End file.
